Gift of the Wild
by Dreadfang21
Summary: A coming-of-age story about a female night elf finding her destiny as a druid. Learning the ways of nature and the animals while also learning about herself. Rated T for now. This story is set during the BC expansion.
1. Prologue

**Author's note: Hello everyone, I'm new to the writing portion of this site but have been a longtime reader. I finally decided to submit a story of my own. It is a WoW fic and I am a WoW nerd, there I said it. Please keep in mind that the prologue is the only part of this story that will be in first person. The rest will be in third...obviously. Anyway. World of Warcraft is a copyright of Blizzard Entertainment, all settings, NPC's, and elements belong to them.**

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I don't remember too much about where I came from. However, I vividly recall what had happened the night I was found.

The thunder rolled and the winds howled, carrying with them screams and pleas of terror. Rain poured down upon my crude hiding place. My crate slightly muffled the sounds of violence and destruction that commenced outside. Loving faces of fellow elves had left me with their tearful smiles not a few moments before stowing me away and leaving my life forever.

Terrifying noises which seemed to last an eternity came to rest just mere minutes later. It was done, my family was gone and I was alone. Abandoned. _Orphaned._

I could hear grunts and shouts of a strange language accompanied with sadistic laughter. Sounds of vandalism: wood splitting, cloth ripping, and glass shattering filled the night air. I began to cry out of fright, giving myself away.

The top of my box was torn open and I was greeted by a rough, blue face with long nose, red eyes, and tusks that protruded out and up to the creature's cheeks. His odd shaped head crowned with a blood red mane to match his evil eyes. He gave me an evil smile and licked his purple lips, raising an object above his head.

A flash of lightning, a crash of thunder, and the creature was obliterated as I continued to bawl. I hear a whisper and sounds of shushing that stifle my cries. I am lifted and wrapped in sheet. I met the gaze of dark eyes. This face was different. It had pale skin, a bulbous nose, and a bushel of golden hair. This face was warm, comforting….friendly.

"Well look at you." The friend greeted me and I smiled.

I was wrong, my family had just found me.


	2. Growth

**Author's Note: I decided to go ahead and post the prologue and first chapter. Wanted to give you guys some more substance to read. WoW is owned by Blizzard and I own nothing. Please read and review :)**

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She looked around slowly, taking it all in. It was a world laced in hues of emerald. Flora was abundant here: Trees, shrubs, grass, and vines. All of them a deep, rich green. The only plants that showed nonconformity were the hundreds of flowers that sported their own colors of yellow, red, purple, and orange.

Rosabel, a night elf, strolled through the world slowly. Taking time to recognize the beauty and serenity of this sanctuary. She felt one with it, as if she truly belonged her. The scents, sights, and ambience of this forest seemed to put her at an unmitigated peace.

It wasn't until the elf walked faster that she realized she was barefoot. In fact, she was bare in general. From head to do she wore nothing except for the lavender skin she was born in.

"What is going on here? Where am I? Am I dream-"A sudden roar interrupted her monologue and startled her. Sounding as if a tiger was just a few yards away. Rosa put her fists up, preparing for a fight. She looked down at herself and sighed.

"It's hard to be threatening when you're naked…" She continued to walk, taking in more surroundings. But everything looked the same. More vines, more trees…more green.

The unchanging visuals were finally interrupted by a purple light. The elf began to follow it deeper into the forest realm. It seemed to go on forever as she pushed past the rich vegetation.

She finally broke into a clearing in the forest. The grassy meadow was bathed in sunlight. Its beauty was accented by a small creek that laid off to the side near the tree line. This place was the center of all the peace. She breathed in the pure air and closed her eyes.

Her serenity was once again broken as a low growl escaped from the trees. She looked in the direction of the primal noise to see a panther stalking out of the forest. Its yellow eyes piercing into her soul. Oddly enough the panther wasn't a solid black animal. Its body was ethereal, as if it were a spirit or shadow. Rosabel stepped back slowly, not taking her eyes off the predator.

Another growl broke through the trees and a bear hulked into the clearing on the elf's right. Its form the same misty purple essence as the panther's. Red eyes staring into her as if it were targeting its first maul.

"This isn't happening." She backed away in another direction, keeping her eyes on both creatures. "This is just a dream."

She became more fearful waiting for one of the animals to charge. Knowing that either one would not hesitate to tear into her purple flesh. She stopped again, feeling yet another presence behind her. The girl lost her senses, jumping forward and turning to see her new threat.

Yet another ethereal form faced her and stared at her with glowing blue eyes. It was a bipedal bird with large wings, a razor sharp beak, and antlers that adorned its feather head. A moonkin.

"What do you want? What am I doing here?" Rosabel was calm but spoke firmly.

The moonkin just continued to stare. The other two animals behind her sat on their haunches giving her the same ghostly gaze. She looked around at all three and then focused back on the moonkin.

_What is this? _

The moonkin finally opened its beak screeched at her. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

The dream world vanished and Rosabel opened her eyes back to reality. A bearded face smiling down at her and yelling again. "Wake up Rosa, time to get a move on!"

After a bath and some breakfast, Rosabel finally made her way outside into the frigid air. They were in the goblin city of Everlook that sat almost in the center of Winterspring. It was always cold and the ground was covered in snow, no matter the season. But it was beautiful and honestly the place had minute problems compared to the other parts of Azeroth. The occasional run in with a frost giant in the southern canyon and small forces of the blue dragonflight to the southwest were the only real threats to be found here. But were both far from the goblin settlement.

The elf took in a deep breath of crisp air and walked on. Her black boots crunched the snow beneath her. She dressed smart for this place. She wore an all-black attire complete with leather boots, pants, chest-piece and gloves. Each article lined at the hems with fur for added warmth and style. Her violet hair was pulled back in ponytail that reached down between her shoulder blades, leaving enough hair to hang in the front and frame her face. The soft glow of her golden eyes matching against her hair nicely.

She spotted her father a few yards away at the stable house. Talking with the stable master and one of the local goblins. Her father saw her coming and smiled. "Rosabel, happy birthday! Another year past and another foot taller than myself!" She knelt down and hugged him.

His name was Aravon Stormweiser, a dwarf native to the Hinterlands. Short in stature but strong in body and heart. He was also strong in spirit, strongly defined by his role as a shaman. Wrinkles and a few scars on his dark complexion were mostly hidden by a thick golden beard. A trademark of Wildhammer dwarves. His dark eyes showed wisdom and experiences of happiness, anger, and pain. He was a kind and optimistic man with a passion for brewing his own ale. He was also a good father. Raising Rosabel for seventeen happy years. The circumstances by which these two had come together are quite interesting. But that's a story for another time.

"It's good to see ye finally woke up. Guess the cold makes ya a tad slow, eh?" The dwarf joked.

"It was a warm bed and trekking in that snowstorm last night was exhausting."

"Ah well it's your birthday anyway, ye deserve it." Aravon stood back and looked at his daughter. "Hmm, now what do I get for such a grown up girl like yourself? I guess little dolls and stuffed animals are played out, eh?" He shrugged.

"You didn't have to get me anything. This trip around Kalimdor has been more than enough!" She really did love this whole trip. It was exciting and she had seen so much. From the dry desert of Tanaris to the eternal dusk of Darkshore. They had seen most of the continent except for the more dangerous places such as Un'goro and Silithus.

"Aye, but riding in the brew wagon must get boring and uncomofortable. So, this morning I found somethin' to fix that." He let out a sharp whistle that made Rosabel's ears ring. One of the horses trotted out from the stable and over by Stormweiser. It was a white palomino with green eyes equipped with saddle and all. Rosabel smiled and walked up to the horse. "She's beautiful, thank you so much dad."

"You're very welcome, dear. Now go pack up your stuff. We're heading out today." Rosabel nodded and walked back the inn. The goblin standing next to Aravon grinned, watching her body as she walked away. "Sounds like a good time." The dwarf chuckled "Aye, it definitely won't be for you if you keep eyeing her like that, lad." He patted the goblin hard on his shoulder as his grin faded. "…Sorry."

The sky was set in overcast, leaving Winterspring in a light shade. Rosabel and her father travelled down the main road west. The elf sat high on her horse, feeling proud to finally have her own mount. Stormweiser trailed beside her on his ram, pulling a small wagon of barrels behind him. The barrels being full of his Stormweiser ale.

"Father, where are we headed to now?"

He took a drink of ale and let out a hearty belch. "We be headin' to the druid capital, Moonglade. A neutral land where druids of both the horde and alliance coexist and learn together."

"The Horde? There will be orcs?" She sounded more curious than worried.

Aravon wiped his mouth having finished his ale. "Most likely not, mostly tauren and a few trolls. Nothin' to worry about though. Druids are a peaceful people." He pulled back on his reins to stop his ram. "We'll rest a moment to let Bonehead and….Wintergreen drink." He snickered as he said the name of Rosa's horse.

Rosa scowled at her father's ribbing. "I think it's a cute name for such a great horse." She pet the pony's mane and proceeded to jump off. Both of them letting their mounts trot over to the nearby lake to drink. Aravon was checking the barrels to make sure they were tied tight.

"Speaking of druids. You are an adult now, have you thought about what you'd like to do?" He looked at her as she enjoyed the snowy landscape.

She returned his look and began to ponder. She had never really thought on it before. "I'm not sure. I'm not much of a fighter and I don't know any spells."

"Not a fighter!?" He let out a hearty laugh. "Girlie I've seen ye break noses of boys that crossed ye." She had knocked out a few guys that got a little too close to her personal space before. Thanks to her father, Rosa was more than sufficient in fending for herself.

"Well I don't know. Maybe I'll be a shaman like you." She smiled. "You know, throw lightning bolts and control the elements."

Aravon crossed his arms and smirked. "Think ye got it in ya? It takes lots a trainin' and meditation and all that other crap. Plus ya can commune with the ancestors and yer uncle Borik WILL NOT stop tellin' me about how he got sat on and suffocated by an ogre. Even though it's still funny."

While her father was talking, Rosa had started tending to an injured rabbit. Its blood staining the ground pink. Its breathing was slow and heavy. "Poor thing."

"Must've been attacked by a wolf." Her father said, walking over.

"I'll help it, just need my bandages." The elf reached into her belt

Stormweiser put his hand on the rabbit and its body began to glow a light blue. The wound on the rabbit's back began to heal. Its tissue and muscle mending together again as if time was reversing. Feeling as good as new, the alabaster bunny hopped out of Rosabel's arms and into the forest.

"Remember kiddo, bein' a shaman ain't just about throwin' lightnin'. It's about protecting the Earthmother and all the life she creates. Including all those little animals you love." He chuckled.

Aravon wasn't as traditional as most shaman, but he was as good shaman as any other. Rosabel smiled and got up from the cold snow. "Thanks, dad."

The dwarf whistled and both mounts galloped back to the road. Aravon climbed back up on Bonehead. "Alright then, off to the Moonglade!" He charged off on his ram.

Rosa jumped on her horse a followed suit. They both galloped towards the mouth of a cave that was home to the Timbermaw furbolgs.


End file.
